Students protest against a Jefferson County School Board proposal to emphasize patriotism and downplay civil unrest in the teaching of U.S. history in Littleton on Sept. 25. (Brennan Linsley, The Associated Press)

Mike Rosen insists that our Declaration of Independence was not an act of civil disobedience but rather a “precursor” of armed rebellion. Really? The fighting, underway since Lexington and Concord in April of 1775, had been going on for over a year by July 4, 1776. Already the Battle of Bunker Hill had been fought in June of 1775. It’s tough to be a precursor of anything so long-running.

I think Rosen defeated his own argument by making that his first point against the school curriculum protests in Jefferson County. The nature of protest — be it a petition for redress of grievances, civil disobedience, rioting in the streets, domestic terrorism, and outright armed rebellion — is the perfect subject for classroom study and debate. Let’s trust our children to develop the wisdom to judge as we have, and if they see things differently, then perhaps we can learn something from them.

Harry Puncec, Lakewood

This letter was published in the Oct. 13 edition.

That Mike Rosen would presume to lecture high school students on “critical thinking” had me laughing. I’ve read him for years and he has plenty of strong opinions, but I would rarely accuse him of having arrived at them critically. Even when I might agree with him, I discount his words because they are so frequently vitriolic and bullying. To characterize “Klan cross burnings on the lawns of blacks” — which are clearly acts of racial intimidation against individuals — as acts of civil disobedience is unconscionable.

Rosen has blinders on, in my opinion, and instead of evaluating the good and bad points of issues, candidates, events and decision makers on both sides of the political spectrum — and evaluating them critically — he just vilifies the side he isn’t on.

His columns are full of critical, but it isn’t thinking.

Mary Young, Castle Rock

This letter was published in the Oct. 13 edition.

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Wheat Ridge High School students work on assignments in their sophomore AP U.S. History class on Sept. 25. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post)

The recent Jeffco school board controversy reveals key differences about the stories at the heart of American history.

History teachers are often reformers at heart, inspired by the ideals of our country’s history — extending the blessings of liberty or establishing justice for all. Yet most want students to examine America’s past from varied perspectives — not just that of the slave owner but also the slave; not just successful male entrepreneur but also female textile worker. The American promise as a land of opportunity could ring hollow for those not privileged by circumstance or accident of birth.

In the end, U.S. history is the more inspiring when one examines the struggles of groups which have endured discrimination that still appeal to American ideals to challenge their exploiters and protest collectively to secure liberty’s blessings. Commemoration of heroic ideals can be balanced with critique.

R. Todd Laugen, Denver

The writer teaches history at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

This letter was published in the Oct. 12 edition.

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Hundreds of Jefferson county students, teachers and parents took to the streets for a rally to protest the curriculum review committee proposed by the Jefferson County school board in Golden on Oct. 2. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)

Last Sunday’s columns by Kenneth M. Donovan and Ross Kaminsky presented a sharp contrast in tone.

Without denigrating the revised AP History curriculum’s critics or their motives, Donovan writes positively of his current AP students’ use of research-based critical thinking in exploring essential questions about the American Revolution.

In contrast, Kaminsky accuses the teachers association of being “desperate for an issue with which to demonize the board.” He omits any reference to the union leaders’ repeated denials of such assertions. He accuses the Jefferson County Education Association of fraudulent, manipulative behavior, of being a “malignant influence,” and of being willing to sacrifice their students’ future well-being for their own financial gain.

Kaminsky’s apparent goal is not collaboration for better education but instead destruction of the teachers union. Most teachers want fair treatment, respect and the opportunity to help their students learn. Most parents want for their children a healthy, positive school district where collaboration is valued. Kaminsky’s tone suggests that Jeffco is not the place to find those conditions now.

Susan Truitt,Denver

This letter was published in the Oct. 11 edition.

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Ann Hampton, right, stands with students, teachers and parents from Jefferson County and Douglas County on Friday on the corner of South Wadsworth Boulevard and West Chatfield Avenue in protest against the Jefferson County school board. (Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post)

As one who had the fun of running the gauntlet of protesters along Wadsworth on my way home from work last Friday, I couldn’t help but notice the large numbers of children holding signs. I’m not talking high schoolers, but what appeared to be children barely in school.

Now, I can appreciate that everyone has the right to protest what they perceive to be an injustice, but shouldn’t that be an individual decision based upon a close examination of the facts? Small children obviously do not and cannot grasp what all the hubbub is about, suggesting to me that they are simply being used as props by their activist parents.

I’m afraid some parents are teaching their children that protesting is the best way to disagree with others, and I wonder what sort of life lesson that teaches and if it reduces their capacity to look at issues objectively when they get older.

Jeff Danelek, Lakewood

This letter was published in the Oct. 7 edition.

We applaud the students of the Jefferson County School District for their civic engagement in demanding an honest and balanced curriculum in U.S. history. They are insisting that their education not erase important struggles to hold this nation accountable to its principles of liberty, equality and justice. Their participation in the cherished American tradition of civil disobedience, advocated and practiced by figures such as Nathan Hale, Henry David Thoreau and Rosa Parks, demonstrates their commitment to the often-contentious practice of American democracy. They know that learning a whitewashed version of American history will not provide them with the historical knowledge or critical thinking skills to effectively address the problems that they, and our nation, will face going forward.

Daryl Maeda, Boulder

The writer is a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. This letter was also signed by CU professors Arturo Aldama, Emma Perez, Hillary Potter and Reiland Rabaka. The views in this letter are their own.

This letter was published in the Oct. 7 edition.

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Students protest against a Jefferson County School Board proposal to emphasize patriotism and downplay civil unrest in the teaching of U.S. history in Littleton on Thursday. (Brennan Linsley, The Associated Press)

Two things about [Jefferson County school board member] John Newkirk’s commentary struck me. First he states, without one bit of evidence, that “union-led teachers have misinformed” Jeffco students. Second, he mentions pay cuts and pay freezes by previous boards and questions why teachers did not protest then. Simple: previous boards collaborated and negotiated with teachers, who chose to take these hits to their pay to do right by the Jeffco community in difficult financial times.

Newkirk and school board members Ken Witt and Julie Williams refuse to work with teachers and they impose their salary plans without negotiation and, quite offensively, weeks after teachers have already started their work year.

I’m not sure which is more disturbing, Newkirk’s need to make fictional accusations against teachers or his refusal to work together with them at every turn. But I suspect the two are connected.

David Baker, Westminster

This letter was published in the Oct. 1 edition.

As stated by John Newkirk, change can be a positive link to improving student performance. However, it is curious that he believes teaching less about the reality of our world history is somehow providing more to our students.

Traveling the world, one finds even our best historians fail to adequately express the atrocities of war on both sides of a battle. In my youth the television media let us see the Vietnam War, which resulted in civil disobedience that ended the war. Our students need to understand our history to keep from repeating it.

Marti J. Smith, Arvada

This letter was published in the Oct. 1 edition.

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Students line a bridge near Columbine High School on Thursday to protest changes to the Jefferson County School District’s history curriculum that have been proposed by members of the school board. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

This retired teacher thinks all kids should be taught the history of civil disobedience, along with its consequences. Jeffco students and their parents need to decide if protesting potential censorship of curriculum is important enough to justify breaking school attendance rules. History should teach that minority civil rights were won by those willing to go to jail. Working within the system doesn’t always change injustice. A protest shouldn’t be a free day off from classes, either. Unexcused absences and make-up work are the consequences.

I once protested the Vietnam War by boycotting my college classes for a few days. I’ve never been sorry. The saddest comment I heard was from a fellow University of Denver student who said, “I’m not here to think. I’m here to get an education.” I’m delighted that now people are actually interested in what curriculum is being taught to our kids. That’s critical thinking!

Martha Sullivan, Arvada

This letter was published in the Sept. 27 edition.

Students in Jeffco understand more about the state of our school board and our education system than school board president Ken Witt is giving us credit for. We are not pawns or tools of our teachers’ associations. We are educated, passionate students who want more from our school board and want more for our teachers, staff, and for ourselves.

George Orwell’s “1984” has become eerily appropriate: “Who controls the past … controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.”

Students like myself are attempting to prevent this temporary majority on the school board from revising our history curriculum and creating revisionist history lessons. We peacefully protest because we believe in our teachers and staff, but more than that we believe in our right to learn the truth and have transparency in Jefferson County.

Katherine Hageman, Lakewood

This letter was published in the Sept. 27 edition.

As the truancy wave of high school students rolls, day by day, across Jefferson County, should we not ask ourselves:

• Who is coordinating this effort?

• Are the teachers thus involved so inept at classroom crowd control that they cannot even keep their charges in their rooms, much less in their buildings, or are they the instigators, and should they be getting paid for facing emptied rooms?

• Have the students, one month into the semester, the ability or historical knowledge to critique curriculums?

• Should Jeffco high schools go to closed campuses so that the parents of truants will be notified of their children’s misbehavior?

• Where are the truant officers?

• Will the school year be extended?

Russell W. Haas, Golden

This letter was published in the Sept. 27 edition.

It’s oh-so-convenient to blame the teachers for stirring up the students. But let us be clear: It is ultimately the voting (and non-voting) public that has created this monster, thanks to the election of those board members who summarily fired a well-respected superintendent and have stirred the pot with their agenda. Now they have a tiger by the tail, thanks to savvy kids who know well how to use social media.

Jim Bahrenburg, Wheat Ridge

This letter was published in the Sept. 27 edition.

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Maureen Sielaff points out that previous Jeffco School Superintendent Cindy Stevenson was hired with less input from residents than the current board applied to the hiring of Dan McMinimee, and that no public outcry resulted.

Presumably, it is unfair that the McMinimee hiring has sparked protests.

However, a key piece of information is excluded from her letter: Dr. Stevenson worked as a teacher, principal and administrator in the Jeffco district for some 20 years before being promoted to superintendent. So, she was well-known to the Jeffco school district and familiar with its operations. McMinimee, by contrast, has played no previous role in Jeffco and so might be expected to be subject to more scrutiny.

Denise Burrows, Arvada

This letter was published in the June 16 edition.

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Jefferson County residents wait to weigh in on the hiring of a new public schools superintendent last Tuesday. The Jeffco school board voted 3-2 to hire Daniel McMinimee to lead the state’s largest district. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)

Thank you to the Denver Post editorial board for asking for an open process for Jeffco schools in the district’s search for a new superintendent. The editorial did an excellent job of addressing the draft contract for Daniel McMinimee. What it did not address is the less-than-open process of the candidate selection itself.

Parents, educators and other community members understood that the board would create a slate of two to five candidates from the search pool for further evaluation. The final choice would have the approval of all five members.
Instead, the board majority dropped the semi-final step and offered the position to their candidate without the approval of the minority members.

Selecting a candidate based on a consensus of all five members was a community hope.

Based upon this article, it would seem that the teachers union is waging an all-out attack against Daniel McMinimee. It should never be forgotten that the students come first. Next come the teachers/educators who play a part in molding these young people into viable contributors to not only the community but also perhaps the global community. And lastly come both the school and union bureaucracies.

As a Jefferson County resident who, like all others, funds this operation, I expect the fiscal emphasis to be on our children. Anything other than that is feeding a parasitic system.

The good citizens of Jefferson County have seen the future and many of them do not like it. Their school board is now controlled by three ideologues who have shown that they will only countenance the smallest degree of public participation as they implement their agenda. They have also demonstrated that responsible stewardship of the public purse does not apply when the issue is rewards for their cronies.

The behavior of the Jeffco school board demonstrates, once again, that elections do, in fact, have consequences. All those people who did not bother to vote in the last Jeffco school board election have received their just deserts. Unfortunately, it is their children who will have to live with the consequences of their apathy.

Guy Wroble, Denver

This letter was published in the June 1 edition.

This school board was elected by people like me who were unhappy with our schools and the direction they were taking. I have had four kids and grandkids in Jeffco schools over the last 30 years, so I know what has happened and I was very unhappy.

Ron Biggerstaff, Arvada

This letter was published in the June 1 edition.

The Jefferson County school board must believe in continuing the pay disparity between men and women. The previous superintendent, Cindy Stevenson, was making a base salary of $205,000 a year and the board is proposing to pay Dan McMinimee $280,000.

The wage gap in Jefferson County Public Schools is alive and well.

Kenneth Ayars, Littleton

This letter was published in the June 1 edition.

It’s early and I promise to reserve judgment, but if Daniel McMinimee wants to be judged on his merits, it would be in his best interest to deviate from the new Jeffco school board majority’s lead of secrecy and subterfuge. Unlike the board majority, whose first act was to hire a lawyer, McMinimee should address the greatest fears of constituents and staff: pink-slipping teachers and implementing unvetted changes to the performance review process, a la Douglas County. If that is what they plan on doing, then get it over with and confirm that the new board majority is, in fact, a duck.

Bruce Blakeslee, Arvada

This letter was published in the June 1 edition.

In its May 27 article about the hiring of a new superintendent for Jefferson County schools, The Denver Post cited “controversial reforms” that had been made in the Douglas County system. I would argue that the term “reforms” is overused and makes a judgment for the reader. It implies that there was something wrong with the system that needed to be fixed. The writer would have done better to choose a neutral term such as “changes.”

Pamela Porter, Denver

This letter was published in the June 1 edition.

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In response to Jefferson County Board of Education President Ken Witt’s statement about his personal priorities and vision for Jeffco, he should stop talking the talk and start walking the walk.

Ken Witt (Denver Post file)

Transparency and accountability are only words, but providing an unredacted bill from board attorney Brad Miller would be a step in the right direction. Let the taxpayers know what they’re paying for.

Living up to the district’s promises to teachers would be another. Public negotiations went to impasse because the district bargaining team was never directed by the board to bargain anything. No agreement could be reached, because the team couldn’t authorize anything, so impasse was declared. We know this because it happened in public.

Stop paying lip service to valuing teachers and put your money where your mouth is. Listen to the more than 13,000 respondents to the community survey and reinstate steps and levels, fund full-day kindergarten in low-income schools and keep class size low.

Lori Rubin, Denver

The writer is a teacher at Ralston Valley High School in Arvada.

This letter was published in the May 11 edition.

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If Vincent Carroll wants critics of the Jeffco school board president to “tone down the volume,” then Ken Witt needs to open up the windows.

Carroll misses the biggest issue. I hang out with “the most vehement critics of the conservative trio” (the new board majority), and what upsets them is the trio’s sneakiness: taking votes without discussion, conducting interviews for board attorney in secret, retreating to closed-door meetings when they are questioned, squirreling away important decisions at the bottom of their agendas (assumed to be a tactic to bore citizens into going home before they make big decisions).

If the conservative trio really does have a modest, children-focused plan to improve public education, why are they not proud enough to stand up for it in the light of day? Their secrecy fosters suspicions, paranoia and rumor-mongering, not all of which is entirely without basis.

Joan Jacobson, Lakewood

This letter was published in the March 17 edition.

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Guidelines: The Post welcomes letters up to 150 words on topics of general interest. Letters must include full name, home address, day and evening phone numbers, and may be edited for length, grammar and accuracy.

To reach the Denver Post editorial page by phone: 303-954-1331

Recent Comments

peterpi: I think I have this correct: Voters in Jefferson County elected school board members that the superintendent...

peterpi: Sounds good to me. For future employees. I believe police and fire dept. brass have also been known to get...